5 Reasons why you need to see Spider-Man: Homecoming (again)

One of the most beloved superheroes in existence, there's a reason why Spidey keeps making it back to the big screen. Now available at the Cineplex Store, this time, Peter officially joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe (not including his scene-stealing appearance in Captain America: Civil War last year), and it's this union of Spider-Man with the rest of The Avengers (well, really just his mentor Iron Man) that sets Spider-Man: Homecoming apart from the past iterations of this character.

We loved Spider-Man: Homecoming so much that we're giving you 5 reasons why you need to see the film for the first or second time (because we'll be heading back to relive the fun all over again).

Tom Holland

No offense to Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, but Tom Holland absolutely nails it as Peter Parker. This is the youngest version we've seen of the character, who in the film is fifteen years old. We love how the film treats Peter like he's fifteen, in every aspect of his life. Age aside, Tom simply brings a new charisma and optimism to the role. Here, Peter is more a reflection of today's generation, as he's a go-getter who sees nothing as impossible, and will do anything to prove himself. There's a sense of self-assurance that's more prevalent in this version of Peter, and it's through Tom Holland's confident performance that this is realized.

It's not just another superhero movie

There is something tonally different about Homecoming that sets it apart from other MCU films. This version manages to be a coming-of-age teen comedy while at the same time being a Spider-Man movie. The film is laugh-out-loud hilarious from start to finish, and it really speaks to a younger audience while remaining relevant no matter how old you are. Here, Peter is tackling not just being Spider-Man, but also high school itself. Not only that, but this isn't another origin story. While we love and cherish Spider-Man's past, we don't really need to get emotional through a third interpretation of the pivotal Uncle Ben plot line, or re-learn just how he became Spider-Man. This one picks up right from Civil War, and it wins by doing so.

Diversity

Diversity is a big problem in Hollywood, and the casting of Spider-Man: Homecoming really manages to tackle this. We don't think we've ever seen such a diverse cast of characters in a movie on this scale. While the lead characters of Spider-Man and The Vulture are white and male, Peter's high school reflects the reality of a large and diverse city, with a cast filled with different ethnic backgrounds. The casting of Zendaya as MJ was major news when word broke, but there's many more roles, from Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Flash to newcomer Jacob Batalon as Peter's best friend Ned (who steals every scene he's in), proving that there can and should be equal opportunity for all people from different races and backgrounds to be prominent on the big screen.

Michael Keaton makes a better villain

We've seen Michael Keaton in a broad range of roles, usually playing the good guy or even the hero (cough Batman cough), but we've never seen him as anything close to a super-villain. Adrian Toomes is just your average man in the beginning, who happens to stumble upon alien technology and eventually uses it to create incredibly dangerous weapons, becoming an arms dealer. His character evolves through the film, and it's possibly the most human villain (literally and figuratively) that we've seen in a Marvel film. Here's a man who is simply trying to provide for his family (albeit through unethical and illegal means), who gets caught up in the power he's created for himself. Adrian Toomes is almost like the Walter White ("Breaking Bad") of the MCU, and Keaton makes him sympathetic and terrifying at the same time.

The presence of the MCU

Unless you count Civil War, this is the first time a Spider-Man film is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the way the film handles this is very smart and interesting. While by all means this is a stand-alone Spidey film, the presence of characters like Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) are important parts of the film, as in this version of the story, Iron Man is Spider-Man's mentor. The film basically chronicles Peter auditioning to be an Avenger, but the dosage of other Marvel characters never feels overwhelming to Spider-Man's story. Not only that, but this is the first time we see other characters living in a world that is affected by The Avengers. Seeing regular people discuss and react to a world inhabited by superheroes gives their existence more context, and in a way, roots them more in reality.

Bonus Reason: cameos and end credits

We won't spoil anything for you here, but a final reason to see Spider-Man: Homecoming (again) is to savour the Marvel Cinematic Universe references, cameos, easter eggs, and of course the end credits. The credit sequence has a joy and whimsy to it that actually warrants watching with your full attention, and as with other MCU movies, you really should watch until the VERY end if you don't want to miss a thing (wink wink)!